Wednesday, September 11, 2013

HODGEPODGE WEDNESDAY


Well once again it is time for Hodgepodge Wednesday.  I love participating in this gathering and look forward to what the others have had to say.  You can find them HERE.

1.  What's the best thing about growing older?  Honestly, LOTS AND LOTS of things, such as quiet mornings and lots of alone time with hubby, senior citizen discounts (though I don't qualify for everyone's yet, haha), or maybe just being ole flat out life experienced.  But right there at the very top of the list is GRANDKIDS...

7 OF MY 11

LUKE AND SAM



2.  When did you first feel like a grown up?  For me, it was MUCH younger than I should have.  Getting pregnant at 17 made me grow up really fast.  I could write volumes about this, but I will save that for another day.  But realizing that I was responsible for that tiny baby in my arms was truly a life altering experience.

3.  Chocolate cake with white icing, or white cake with chocolate icing?  While either of them are WONDERFUL in my book, if they were both sitting in front of me for the simple choosing, it would be the chocolate cake EVERY time.

GOODNESS THIS LOOKS SOO YUMMY...AND IT NEEDS TO BE A THING OF MY PAST.  : (


4.  What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?   This made me think back and at first honestly I was drawing a blank.   But then I thought of the one day a few years ago when I was struggling with 3 of my young grandchildren, sudden POURING rain, a stroller I could barely work, bags from shopping, knees that were killing me, and a time schedule I was behind on, when a young girl stopped what she was doing and held the umbrella for me while I loaded those little ones and bags and stroller into the car.  How grateful I was!  OH! and there was the time the car in front of me at Burger King paid for my lunch (and the two grands who were with me!) one day.  I had no idea why.  That so blessed me that I have repaid that blessing a couple of times.

5.  What's something you learned from your grandparents?  Well I would need a book to tell all of this, so I will just try and pick just one of many....both of my grandmothers (lost both of my grandfathers at a very early age) were such sweet, giving women and played hugely significant roles in my life.  One of my grandmothers called me on a regular basis (or maybe I just thought she was calling me...maybe she was just calling the house and I answered) and we would talk for long, long periods of time.  I was in high school at the time and she knew most everything that was going on in my life.  Who my friends were, what subjects I loved, and those I hated and why.  She encouraged me and believed in me and cheered me like almost no other.  How I miss her! Always made me feel cherished and special and loved.  Made me want to be a grandmother just like her. So I guess you could say she taught me the importance of being a grandmother.  

6.  Wednesday marks a sad day in the history of planet earth - 9/11...what's something you do (or can do) to bring peace to your little corner of the world?  Again, I have given this some thought this morning, and I guess my answer would have to be...not enough.  I try to live my life in a way that honors God and brings comfort, encouragement, and hope to those around me.   I hate controversy....I hate arguing and fighting....I hate discord and confusion and hurt feelings.  I do my best to get along and leave room for others to have different opinions, feelings and ideas.  But it does go against our human natures doesn't it?  The NEED to be right and have your opinions known and followed.  Truthfully, this is a work in progress for me and I will probably struggle with it until the Lord calls me home.  There is a time and place and even need sometimes to stand up for what you believe rather it causes controversy or discord.  But it must be done in love at the same time...a fine balance sometimes.  So what do I do?  Lots of praying, keep myself immersed in His Word, and hope that His Holy Spirit controls my tongue.

7.  Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song containing the word peace....Oh my I have soo many of them that it will be hard to chose just one.  But I will settle on this promise...

Psalm 29:11  The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace

But I LOVE the song Peace Like a River....hopefully now I will have this song in my head and heart ALL day...



8.  Insert your own random thought here...Well you honestly wouldn't believe my doc appointment at the orthopedic's office today....wouldn't believe.  My appointment was at 11.  So naturally I just assumed that even if I waited a bit I should be done by 12:30 at the latest...right?  Ummmm that would be a NO.  I did not actually get seen until 3:15!  Yes, you read that right  3:15!  They announced at one pt (after I had already been there for over an hour) that the doc was running about an hour and a half behind time of what you had been scheduled, and if you wanted to re-schedule please feel free.  Well since it was only about another 20 minutes or so for me I decided of course to wait it out.  An hour later I went up to the desk thinking I will re-schedule for the next day or whatever.  Now remember, I had waited 7 weeks for this appointment in the first place!  But upon asking, if I re-scheduled she couldn't see me until the END OF OCTOBER!  Needless to say they had a lot of very unhappy people, and I decided not to join my voice in with the others (so unlike me!) and just sat down to wait it out.  An hour later I had decided I would just go real quick and get something to eat (I was STARVING!) and come back, when they suddenly called me.  I ran in (not really ran, but close!) and proceeded to wait ANOTHER hour and half in the examining room.  I was practically delirious.  I do not do well with skipping meals.  Now I was carrying on 4 different text phone conversations and in between reading a magazine, but I was beginning to get a headache from hunger and truthfully my patience was wearing VERY thin.  I felt the whole day swirling down the drain.  Then she finally came in....and truthfully said a lot of stuff I was not expecting to hear.  Here is the bottom line.  She was totally and completely amazed looking at my x-rays that I was walking around at all as I am totally bone on bone and looked REALLY bad.  I told her I CAN'T really walk around much at all, it is why I am here.  And she said, "Well, you walked in here didn't you, without a cane or a walker?"  And I said, "Well I can walk short distances for around 10 minutes or so before the pain becomes really bad. Any more and I DO use a cane."  She said most people who were as bad as I was can not.  And then she came over to examine me and put my legs through various positions etc. and said, "Doesn't this hurt?"  and I said, "Not really."  Then she said that basically I had the best range of motion she had EVER seen in all her years of practice for someone whose knees were as shot as mine.  So of course I asked her what on earth that meant. 
And she said, well you are very fortunate and must be doing something right.  She asked if I stretched much.  I said twice a day as I found it really helped.  And I take some joint supplements from Shaklee.  And that when I am out of them I can tell right away.  Anyway, bottom line she went on and on about how large my pain tolerance must be.  That she has seen it before, but I was up at the top.  I went on then to say that maybe she was misunderstanding.  My knees KILL me.  I can't hardly walk at all without being in great pain...She went back to the range of motion thing etc. She said she would replace my knees, but that she would not even considering doing two at the same time.  She said my knees look like mirrors or each other (both are very bad ~ again I could have told her that!) so to just pick one.  I said the left.  THEN! she said she would recommend waiting until after the holidays as she is scheduling out 6 to 8 weeks from now anyway, and I have to commit to 4 months of time to be incapacitated.  Said I might as well wait until then and in the meantime lose at least 15 pounds!  And she said more than likely it will be a year before I am ready to do the other one.  So in the meantime she is going to give that knee (the one waiting the year) some kind of silicone injections or something which some people have GREAT results with.  In fact she said IF it works well we will do the other one too and you can wait a little longer if you want to without surgery.  Some people never have scheduled surgery after getting them.  She said she doubted with the looks of mine if I would fall into that category, but then again with my RANGE OF MOTION I just might.  I pointed out that  I had cortisone injections before and they had done NOTHING to help.  She said these injections were very different from that.  Soooo honestly here I was expecting to just be scheduling surgery in the next 3 weeks or so, and now I am not.  I don't know how I even feel about this.  I want these knees fixed, and yet it is the old it is what it is.  And no, this doc is the only one on my particular insurance plan.  I honestly did really like her.  People in the waiting room were raving about how good and wonderful she is and worth the wait etc.  However, I honestly don't want to do surgery in Jan or even Feb.  Prime cold and flu months and I couldn't bear to get sick and be dealing with all of that.  She did go on and on and ON about how difficult and painful the recovery is.  Eventually it will be great, but expect GREAT pain.  Said it has brought grown men to tears.  I am NOT really wanting any of that either, and yet....Sooo, I guess for now I get VERY serious about losing some weight.  The more I lose the better I guess.  And pray really hard the injections work, and plan on just calling her office to schedule (giving her at least 6 weeks from when I want to do it) when I am ready.  She said if I don't lose the weight she'd do it anyway, but it would really help me out.   I am thinking early March??  Anyway, sorry for this LONG LONG random thought here, but this has been a weird day.

Hope you all are having a good week!




17 comments:

  1. I LOVE to read about the lunch for you and your grands....that's cool. But what is MORE so, is that you pay it forward often. That's great.

    And by the way, your grandkids are a true blessing. Sweet.

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  2. Grandkids! I need some : ) I'm glad you finally got in to see the doctor. I don't do well skipping meals either. I hope you get some relief from the injection!

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  3. Grandkids ARE the best thing about getting older!!

    I was thinking, as I was reading about your doctor's visit, that winter would be a good time to schedule the surgery ... at least in the winters here, I don't want to get out and about, etc. so I wouldn't mind being incapacitated for a few months. So did you get the injections or do you have to go back for them? I'm praying that they'll work and that you can postpone surgery. {{{hug}}}

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  4. 11 sweet greandbabies? Oh, how fun! What a blessing they must be to you!!! I'm so sorry to hear about your drs appointment - what a long, frustrating ordeal... I've had to go through similar situations with other doctors and I know the pain (literal and figurative)... so sad that she is the only dr you can see... but hmmm, yes, i guess weight loss would help (can't hurt, right?) and will pray that it comes off quickly so perhaps you can get the surgery done sooner rather than later. Hang in there!

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  5. First: Loved your answers to the Hodge Podge. Now, I will have that song stuck in my head, too. That's OK with me because it's a song I need to hear these days.

    Second: I'm very encouraged for you about the silicone thing and hope it at LEAST gives you relief. I do hope that you can have the surgery soon if it doesn't help, though. My mom did it, and I can promise you that the rehab is much faster than they say if you do the PT the way you are supposed to. Since you are used to the stretching and doing things "right" with your knees, I'm pretty positive that your recovery would be faster than most. I promise to stick around and be your long distance cheerleader if you do have the surgery.

    I have pom poms, and I'm not afraid to shake them...

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  6. I love my grandchildren too. I keep saying I should have had them first.

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  7. I will shake my pom poms with debbie! :)

    I have a friend who had both knees done, and she is as happy as a clam and said it was not nearly as bad as she was lead to believe. Maybe, if you have one knee done when the weather is cold, it will be ready to use and run around with by spring! I'll pray with you for wisdom and timing for all of this.

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  8. You are so blessed. Her I am, almost 62, and no grand kids in sight :(
    I love the kindness of a stranger. Love the Bible verse. I am so sorry about your knees and I will pray for you. That was some appointment! It is amazing the pain we can handle at times. I think your plan of action is a good one and I hope those injections help. ((HUGS))

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  9. Wow Debbie, I cannot believe you stayed there that long, that is so crazy but she must be good to have that many patients. I just don't know what I would do reading about all of the pain you would have to go through. I know my MIL had it done and it has been a year and a half and she is still in so much pain.
    I am so glad that you are doing so well though in other ways. doctors never understand having children and being a Mom just means you have a high pain threshold. That is funny. I hope today you have a nicer day.

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  10. First and foremost I would read "Christ The Healer" by F.F. Bosworth. We have seen healings in our family from learning more about how God heals and how we receive.
    I have known people who had their knees done and said, as Sonja did, that it was not as bad as they expected. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

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  11. That cake does look good!! Its a shame i don't live close.
    I know some doctors can be just as difficult as patients, like " do you really need that?" Although i am having trouble with my dentist in wanting a mouth guard because my bottom teeth grind against the top.

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  12. I get so frustrated whenever I have to wait for a doctor to see me beyond about 30 mins., so I feel your pain, for sure! Definitely will say a prayer that the shots work! God hears our prayers, rest assured!

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  13. Love the Sam and Luke pic :)
    I keep hearing more and more people telling GOOD stories about knee replacements!

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  14. Oh my goodness your medical adventure sounds so much like the one that started for me in 2011. I had an MRI on my back, made plans for back surgery a couple weeks after the MRI, took online classes so I could still go to school while I was in recovery and… 5 months and many doctors & tests later I was diagnosed with something else and no back surgery. Oh yeah and I still have to lose some weight.

    I hope the silicone injections work well for you, or at least some relief until you can have surgery. My dad had silicone injections and seems to be doing well. Of course, he doesn't have a doctor raving about his incredible pain threshold. Sending good thoughts and prayers. {{Hugs}}

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  15. Well Debbie, it sounds like you have indeed had a day. I'm so sorry you had to wait so long to then not hear what you wanted to hear. I have several friends who have had knee replacements and yes, they were in pain, but not to the degree your doc led you to believe. One even had both done at the same time, and yes, that was tough for several months but she would not have done it differently. I do so hope the injections work for you.

    Those grands are so precious. You are a blessed woman. I loved the story about your grandparents. Good post today.

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  16. Grown men have never given birth. You sound as if you have an incredibly high tolerance for pain, Debbie. So, it is what it is and you won't be doing what you thought you'd be doing. Isn't that a perfect description of life? (That wait was insane. Pack a lunch every time you have to go there! )

    I've said it before, but I do enjoy these prompts. Someone asks good questions!

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  17. Wow! Your doc story is crazy! Did you tell the ortho dr how long you had been waiting? Sometimes I think the dr doesn't know how behind they get and how long people have to wait. They need to be told. Good luck with the cortisone shots bringing relief. I hope it works! Oh - and by the way, I loved your answer to question #6!

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!